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The Rapido Group of France has acquired renowned German campervan maker Westfalia. This puts Westfalia on a firm footing, after it was forced to file for insolvency last January to undergo restructuring.

Rapido produces luxury low-profiles and A-classes out of its factory near Le Mans, and only this year debuted its first van conversion. Westfalia, on the other hand, is regarded as the inventor of the campervan, with the Volkswagen Type-2 based camper that first appeared in the early 1950s. Westfalia remained the official Volkswagen camper manufacturer until 2001, when Daimler-Chrysler took a majority stake in the company, motivating VW to move its camper operations in-house.

According to a statement issued by Rapido, Westfalia’s factory in Rheda-Wiedenbrück and all of its 100 employees will be retained. The statement seems to hint that expansion is on the cards, as well. “Rapido has the necessary industry and market know-how at its disposal and is ready and in a position to make the necessary investments,” said Westfalia’s insolvency administrator, Rainer Eckart. And according to Rapido Group chairman, Pierre Rousseau: “Rapido Group has a thorough knowledge of distribution networks in Europe, which represents a development potential for Westfalia.”